Technology

Tips for buying a Digital Camera

Depending on whether you are an average use taking pictures for fun and photo albums or if you are looking for a more sophisticated camera for professional use, you will have many different choices in digital cameras. The first thing you should consider in buying a digital camera is your budget. You may want that fancy, top of the line digital camera but your budget may not. Yes, the high end cameras offer the best zoom and more megapixels, as well as other added features you might find with less expensive cameras but they are very costly. That does not mean you will end up with a horrible camera though. In fact it is quite the opposite! There are some very inexpensive yet powerful digital cameras that are easy to use and to shoot and that are very compact and portable. With so many brands offering different variations of digital cameras it is easy to get off track with words like high resolution and optical zoom. There are some basics of digital cameras that you should research before buying such as how many megapixels you need, or whether you are shooting more in the evening or late night. In fact there are many questions you should ask yourself before buying a digital camera, but once you do you can narrow down your camera to one or two models.

You also need to consider battery life. Digital cameras for the most part drain batteries in very little time. You need to know how much batter life your camera has before purchasing it. Although you should keep spare batteries on hand at all times, it is recommended that you consider rechargeable batteries so that you simply recharge them when you camera dies. Otherwise you’ll be spending more on batteries then on the camera itself. Then of course you need to consider all of your accessory options. First and foremost, there is the memory issue. Most digital cameras come with almost no memory capabilities so you will need to purchase your own memory. This comes in many forms such as flash cards, memory sticks, and pen drives just to name a few. Some memory options will depend on the type of camera you buy, but others are multifunctional and can work with any digital camera. Most importantly when buying a camera is to make sure that it suits your needs, and has a good quality name behind it. Digital cameras that get great reviews from consumers are usually the best digital cameras to try. Amateur photographers are a hard bunch to please, and if you have done your research and have found camera to perform up to its capabilities and it is what you need in a camera then you may have found the camera for you. Do not be overwhelmed by your options. Digital cameras may be advanced by they are very user friendly.

7 Tips To Increase The Longevity Of Your Split Air Conditioner

The global warming has wrecked havoc on the earth as the temperature is rising and touching a new high every year. The people across the globe are suffering from the ill effects of global warming. Coupled with the scorching heat, the humidity has made life tougher than ever before. To save themselves from this unusual climatic condition, many people have fallen back on air conditioners a lot.

Whether you buy a split AC (air conditioner) or a window AC, the most important thing is to know whether they will perform smartly under tough circumstances. Since, we tend to overuse the air conditioners during the summer, we need to be prepared for their maintenance just incase they fail to perform up to the desired level. Take a look at some of the maintenance tips for split ACs that should be applied to boost the efficiency of your split air conditioner.

The smooth functioning of a product depends on its proper maintenance. So, if you have a product, then you need to take god care of it. In case of an AC whether domestic or commercial, the following points should be noted for better performance and durability of the product. The various components of it include:

1. Air conditioning filter is an important part of an AC. It should be changed every month or every two months regularly depending on its use. If not the air would be dirty and filled with pollutants. The dirty air conditioning filters also increases the air conditioning repair and maintenance cost.

2. Another important part is the compressor. It compresses low pressure, low volume gas making them the high pressure, high temperature and the gas needed for the AC. It also removes vapor from the evaporator to maintain a low boiling point. Make sure to clean the compressor regularly to get cool and refreshing air. Oil specially designed for the ACs can be used for its longevity.

3. When air passes through the system, the evaporator coil absorbs the heat to provide cold air through out the space. Replacing the old evaporator coil improves the air flow and air circulation inside the home.

4. Air conditioning maintenance also includes cleaning of air ducts or ducts. In the air conditioning system, air ducts are spread through out the entire house keeping the area cool and pleasant. Hence, the ductwork ought to be cleaned regularly to remove the dust collected on air ducts.

5. All air conditioning system use refrigerant to absorb the excess heat and supply cool air inside the house. Sometimes there might be a refrigerant leak. So, a reliable air conditioning company or contractor should be called to check and repair that part.

6. Sometimes there might be problem with the heating and split air conditioning of your air conditioner. You need to clean your air filters. If, still the problem continues, then it`s time to call an expert.

7. In some of the cases ice blocks the tube and no cold air comes from the air conditioning filter instead of the filters recently cleaned. It indicates that the air conditioning refrigerant is low and needs to be adjusted or replaced.

Although the running cost of both window and split AC is almost the same, the power consumption of a split AC could be little higher because of the additional motor it requires. Moreover, the capital expenditure of it is a bit higher than the window AC as well. A split air conditioner scores higher than a window air conditioner because of its `silence` feature. The compressor of a split air conditioner is kept away from the indoor unit and thus, ensures complete silence inside your room.

Find Out What Notebook Is Right For You

The Netbook has sprung onto the market with force thanks to the new Intel Atom processor that allows you to stay connected for longer. So which of the 10-inch models is the best for you? We take a look at three of the contenders in the field.

MSI Wind notebook
Following hot on the heels of the Eee PC the MSI Wind, yet another white plastic netbook. Pull open the lid and you will be presented a 10-inch Super-TFT panel and an almost full size keyboard. Operating systems are either Windows XP or Linux.

As for that chip, the Intel Atom N270 runs at 1.6GHz but as the core of the chip is based on older technology, so you won't see much of a performance boost over the Celeron chips found in the Asus. However, as it runs at a lower voltage, it impacts less on battery life. The new chip improves usability but not performance making the MSI Wind a winner in our book. It's taken everything Asus learnt from its first generation Eee PC and improved on it.

Advent 4211 notebook
It is impossible to review the Advent 4211 without referring to the MSI Wind, but perhaps there is no need because the Advent 4211 is identical. The difference lies in the price, the colour schemes and bundled software. The Advent comes in a black outer shell, with silver interior.

The Advent 4211 is home to the same Intel Atom N270 chip as used in the Wind and this gives you 1.6GHz processing power. The display is a crisp 10in LCD (1024 x 600) LCD, which stands up fairly well in a range of light conditions, both indoors and out.

The keyboard is obviously small, but fills the width of the frame so maximal space is given over to the keys. As there is no optical drive, you'll either have to download the software you want, or install from a USB stick or SD card. The Advent 4211 is a great little computer and runs very well.

Asus Eee PC 1000 notebookIt is seems that every time a company announces a rival to Asuss Eee PC crown, the Taiwanese company sees this as a direct challenge and announces another model in the Eee PC range.

So, hot on the heels of the 901 comes the 1000. It takes the same styling as the 8.9-inch model, but features a 10-inch screen. This larger screen does mean the overall design is bigger and heavier. Sure, 1.5kg is still ultraportable but when you think back to the 701 and its sub-1kg size it is easy to see that the idea of true portability is slipping away.

The only problem with have with the Eee PC 1000 is the size of it. The largest Eee PC to-date, the 1000 may be suffering from size creep but it is still a fantastic machine to use. The battery life is impressive and the build quality is still as high as ever.

The only problem is, you need ask yourself, at this price, would you be better off opting for a standard notebook? Looking at the evidence the answer is no

The Popularity Of The LCD Plasma TV

Most people have heard of the LCD plasma TV technology. It is a craze that is sweeping the world and is considered by some to be the only way to watch television or play video games. Those older, bulkier models just will not cut it anymore. This is a time of technology and of people demanding better quality in their viewing. If you have not had a chance to check out one of these flat screen televisions, then you are doing yourself a huge disservice. Whether you purchase a Samsung TV or a Sony HDTV plasma television, you are part of a growing trend. Many people are trading in their old, bulky television sets in favor of the new slimmer models. Remember those big screen televisions that took up most of the living room? Forget about those archaic relics!

They offered up distorted pictures and faded colors. LCD and plasma televisions blast those antiques away by offering up new technology that spares owners the distortion. Monday night football never looked so good when viewed on this new phenomenon.Okay, so an LCD plasma TV is a bit more expensive than what you paid for your old telly. However, if you remember back, then you may realize that the price differences are pretty small. At the time, larger screen televisions could easily sell for $500. Today you can own flat screen televisions for as little as $628 if you catch them on sale. Wal-Mart offers an RCA LCD HDTV for that price. It is 32" and has a built-in DVD player. You're getting a two for one deal.Some people do not believe in buying their products or merchandise at big name retail stores because they want to support their local businesses. This is commendable and there needs to be a concerted effort to save local businesses. However, the downfall of shopping at local "Mom and Pop" stores is that they may not have the selection you want and if they do have the right Samsung TV or Panasonic plasma TV, then you are going to pay more.Get rid of that dull old television set that is taking up so much room! An LCD plasma TV will change how you watch movies or play video games. You can go a step farther by purchasing cable or satellite packages that offer HDTV. The difference between regular cable or satellite and high definition is astonishing. Jump into the craze and see what you have been missing

Give Me My Blackberry Or Give Me Death

I remember it well. It was late in the evening on the Help Desk and I got a call from a freaked out Accountant who was with his family in Egypt on vacation and he had lost his Blackberry. The guy sounded like the Tasmanian Devil on the phone and was yelling at the top of his lungs. I may have got a few words in but pretty much had to let him vent for a while and it sounded like he may have even blacked out for a minute there. The sky was indeed falling for this poor sap. I can only imagine what his family had to endure during the rest of the trip.
Obviously there was really nothing I could do for him except disable the device on the Enterprise Server and wait until he returned to get a new device activated but he didnt take to well to that plan. He went on and on about the fact that his entire life was stored in that device and he had no backup of it at all. Somehow this was all my fault. I for one never have had that much faith in any sort of gadget that can be so easily misplaced or get damaged. If I were to do that I would have as many backups of the data as possible...even then Id still be paranoid. We all know that everything breaks eventually and in the case of a cell phone or a BB the chances of them being stolen or left behind is pretty high.

Anyway, the guy would not accept the fact that he was out of luck so he insisted that I call my boss and check the server backups then call him back. Just what I wanted to do at 11pm when I have a mountain of reports to churn out already. Well, I did call my boss just to cover my you know what but he agreed that there was really no point in waisting man hours to search for something that didnt exist. So I just killed some time and then called the guy back to give him the bad news. A few hours later I got a call from his boss completely annoyed that he was disturbed at home for something this trivial but had me explain everything again just so he could get a sense of what had happened. Luckily he sided with me on it.

The funny thing about Blackberries too is that we get a lot of calls from people who if they dont get emails over a 5 or 10 minute period they naturally assume that that the device is broken. Its depressing really, obviously that persons life is completely controlled by their email...just another reason why I call it the Electronic Leash. I have one myself and it wasnt long before I started turning the bloody thing off at night in order to get a little sleep. Sure I could turn off the sound notifications for messages but if youre going to do that you might as well power it off.

I did see something rather humorous today and that was an Ad for a type of massage designed to ease the muscle and joint pain in the hand associated with Blackberry use. Who knew? You know youve hit the big time when you spawn a new type of therapy designed to fix the problems your product causes. Kudos to RIM....maybe they own stocks in the massage businesses!!

Used Nano or New Nano, Which is Best for Me?

The apple has sold more units than any other mp3 players on the marketplace according to top internet retailer Amazon. If your thinking about an iPod, it is most likely going to be a nano. Just a single question persists, do you require a new or used nano? There are distinct advantages to buying both new and used nano.Is cost a factor?New nanos frequently cost up to $199 depending on the model. Where a used nano of the same generation can cost up to 50% less. Previous generations of nano (1G, 2G) which are not easily attainable in stores can go for up to 75% or more of the price of a new nano. The advantage in cost clearly belongs to the used nano. Particularly if you dont require the features of the so called latest and greatest generation product.

Are you worried with getting a top-notch condition model?Many people just feel more well-situated paying higher retails prices. If the price is low, the deal is too good to be true some say All The Same, I have purchased numerous used products through the net, in particular through internet sites Ebay and Craigslist and found the product quality to be as good as new. The trick to getting superb quality used mp3 players is purchasing from sellers with a good rep. Ebay has a very good system of measurement to rate seller reputation called Feedback. The greater the vendors feedback, and the larger share of their feedback that is positive, the more trust you can have in buying a used nano or other product from the vendor.Is it preferred to have a manufacturers warranty?New nanos are guaranteed by Apple for at least a single year via the their warranty. Used nano oftentimes have no manufacturing plant warranty. Even So, purchasing a previous generation used nano might be a good compromise. The 3rd Generation iPod nano was first sold in late 2007. Meaning second hand 3rd gen. devices will often retain a percentage of the factory warranty remaining!The iPod nano was 1st presented to the market place in the third quarter of 2005. Fast forward to the present, Apple has designed a new generation of nano more or less once annually. There are currently three generations of iPod nano on the marketplace in less than three years. The used nano market is really sound and even a 1st release. nano will likely perform well for the forseeable future to come. Many Apples customers like to remain on the cutting-edge of technology and will sell a somewhat used nano for far under the retail price. Apple does not allow vendors to sell a new nano for below MSRP, a used nano is always the best wager for cost.